1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to a seal for sealing between a slide-out room and the main living quarters of mobile living quarters, such as a recreational vehicle.
2. Description of the Background of the Invention
Mobile living quarters, such as motor homes, travel trailers, and similar types of recreational vehicles, are commonly equipped with one or more slide-out rooms that are retracted within the main living quarters when the unit is transported, but which can be extended from the main living quarters to provide auxiliary space when the unit is parked for use. Commonly, a bulb seal extends around the aperture defined in the outside of the sidewall of the main living quarters through which the slide-out room extends and retracts. This seal is engaged by a first flange on the slide-out room to seal the gap between the slide-out room and the main living quarters when the slide-out room is retracted. Similarly, a second bulb seal extends around the aperture on the inside of the sidewall and is engaged by a second flange (offset axially from the first flange) when the slide-out room is extended for use. A wiper seal mounted on the sidewall extends into the aperture and is flexed against the corresponding walls of the slide-out room. The bulb seals seal the slide-out room in the extended and retracted positions, and the wiper seal wipes against the slide-out room as it is extended and retracted to prevent moisture and debris to enter the living quarters. A similar prior art seal is disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 6,966,590.
Ideally, two or more of the aforementioned seals are combined into a single member for ease of installation. Commonly, the seals are manufactured continuously, so that an appropriate length may be cut off and installed when the mobile living quarters is manufactured; the bulb seals are commonly manufactured separately from underlying attachment members that are initially installed on the mobile living quarters, with the bulb seals themselves snapped onto the attachment members or slid along the attachment members after the latter are installed.
Obviously, to ease manufacture, it is desirable that the attachment members for the inside and outside and the wiper seals are made in one piece, to thereby facilitate installation. One problem with prior art seals in which the inside and outside attachment members were part of a common sealing unit is that the unit had to include a connecting portion which extended across the aperture. Since different manufacturers, and different models made by the same manufacturer, may have walls of different thicknesses, either different sealing assemblies or separate seals must be used. Clearly, it is desirable to have a common sealing assembly that can be used on all mobile living quarter designs, even though they may have different wall thicknesses.